Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday that the government had drawn up an integrated plan to tackle the Naxal problem in consultation with the states and was initiating firm action against the Maoists.
"In some places we have received reports of the use of children (by Naxals); we have drawn up an integrated plan to tackle the problem in consultation with the states," he told the Lok Sabha while replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the president's address.
"We are taking firm action to curb Naxal violence. It is unfortunate that they are targeting innocent people and destroying roads, power lines and other essential infrastructure," he said.
Expressing the government's willingness to talk to any group that abjures violence without conditions, the prime minister, however, said the government was determined to take firm action.
"While we are determined to take firm action (against Maoists), we are ready to talk to any group that abjures violence unconditionally and agrees to abide by the due constitutional process," he said.
Stating that a high-level meeting of all chief ministers of Naxal-affected states had reviewed the situation, Singh said the security forces that were fighting the menace had achieved several notable successes.
The overall security situation of the country was satisfactory last year, Singh said, adding this was not to ignore the horrible terrorist act in Pune.
"But taking an overall view of the internal security situation, what I am stating, I think, is what the reality is," he said.
Pointing out that a number of concrete steps had been taken to strengthen and reorient the security infrastructure to meet growing threats of terrorism, insurgency and communalism, he said, "We have remained in close touch with state governments to evolve a common and practical approach."
Noting that the National Investigation Agency had commenced its work, Singh said four regional hubs of National Security Guard too had been set up. "We are in the process of setting up a National Counter-Terrorism Centre," he said.
Pointing out that a National Committee on Coastal Security was set up and it had adopted an integrated approach to coastal security, he said the government had taken major initiatives and decisions for registration of vessels, issue of identity cards to fishermen, installation of transponders on boats and setting up of four joint operation centres.
Coastal police stations and interceptor boats have become operational under the Coastal Security Scheme, he said.
The prime minister said to supplement states' efforts to modernise the police force, the Centre had provided Rs 1,250 crore this fiscal of which Rs 955 crore was released till January 28, 2009, to augment vehicles, weapons, communication, training, forensic and intelligence capablities, with the Bureau of Police Research Department studying the impact of the scheme for improvement.
